Pigglies, Consider the known fact that warm air rises. People housing is insulated across the ceiling to keep heat in. It is also cross ventilated with roof vents and eave vents under the sofits for air circulation of the enclosed roof space. This is done so the space never gets colder or hotter than the outside temperature. The living space in your home has cold air returns that your furnace draws air from the home and reheats it during the winter and if you have air conditioning, it cools it in the summer. We try to keep the living space as comfortable as possible without roasting or freezing to death using this method amongst others.
Lets just say the upper portion of your coop is where trapped warm air, moisture, and amonia can be filtered out of your coop. Based on your living location, make sure air enters from one end of the coop and exits the other. You will have to decide how big or how little to make your holes. The bigger the coop, the bigger the ventilation holes. I used floor heater vents of 8x11 with the little slide tab for opening and closing off the vents as needed. this allows me to control the air flow during extremely cold days. You most likely have them on the floor inside your home. The local hardware store sells them. The lower portion of your coop or living space will be much more comfortable for the chickens if you do a few things to this area as well. A cold floor can be filled with straw and inside walls can be insulated or caulked for leaks. A few small windows can be added for sunlight. A heated water dish would be an excellent solution if you had electric but there are other alternatives you can read up on for something without electric. Your chickens usually roost higher than their nesting boxes. Its almost a given on most breeds. Keep your nesting boxes close to but not on the floor. Older chickens and mature birds have a hard time getting down from high roosts. They are not as agile as when they were younger. I provided a ramp as its hard to find a happy medium for all the birds. I hope some of this helps. Its just my opinion and how I have dealt with these issues in Michigan.
All very good advice. I made roost shelves with framing and that green plastic garden fencing, which is rather strong when stretched on a frame, less than 2' off the ground, for some of my elderly birds. Poop mostly goes through the 1" squares. You can also put hay or bunched shavings on top of it for extra warmth for them in winter. I used the plastic screened vents you put in the basement concrete block walls on my original coop in the wall, sort of like you did. I've also used one in the ceiling of one coop that has a loft so it is open in summer to let hot air up into the loft (which is vented as well) and I close it in winter to keep warm air down lower. There are still vents in the lower walls as well. Ventilation is paramount, no matter the season, for healthy chickens!
I have decided to buy one or two of those 1" thick horse stall mats for under he shavings in the original coop. TSC, though I hate to give them business, has the 4x6 size for about $35. That will make the floor warmer as well as padding for my old rooster with arthritis when he jumps off the lower roost.
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